Dog Breed Guide
Norwich Terrier
Profile
- Size
- Extra Small
- Country of origin
- United Kingdom
- Origin
- 19th century
- Bred for
- Ratting, Assisting fox hunts
- Height
- 25 - 26cm (10 - 10in)
- Weight
- about 5kg (11lb)
- Life span
- 12 - 15 years
One of the smallest terriers, with small erect ears, a fox-like face and a harsh coat. Colors are red, wheaten, black and tan, and grizzle.
Small but brave, the Norwich is cheerful and friendly. For a terrier it is fairly easygoing and is said to get along well with other dogs. It is affectionate with its family, curious and always full of beans.
Small but tough, it needs a fair amount of exercise. Like any terrier, it has strong instincts to chase small animals and dig. The harsh coat is kept in shape by stripping out the dead hair from time to time.
Good to know
Its ancestors are said to be small terriers kept by students at Cambridge University in 19th-century England to rid their rooms of rats. Because they were bred on Trumpington Street near the university, they were called Trumpington Terriers at the time.
In the early 20th century, Frank Jones, a huntsman in Norwich, bred and spread these dogs, and in the United States they were also called Jones Terriers after him.
At first there were dogs with erect ears and dogs with drop ears, but in 1964 the Kennel Club divided them into separate breeds: the prick-eared type became the Norwich Terrier and the drop-eared type the Norfolk Terrier. A handy way to tell them apart: the Norwich's pointed ears are like a church spire, while the Norfolk's ears fold down.